Reconstruction
by 12Hues
Summary: AU :To Sam and Danny, their lives are always the same routine. Ghosts, annoying parents, school bullies, the works. When they finally meet, the two inspire each other to reconstruct their lives and grow closer with the passing time. DxS , other pairings
1. First Meeting

**Hello!**

Since I've already done a one-shot and a two-shot, I'd figured I'd try something different this time. Here's a full on story, if I make it into one! I'm not sure where to take this yet, but I've got a few ideas already so no worries. (:

Please R&R!

* * *

><p>"So..."<p>

Her mother looked up from her lobster, daintily placing her fork and knife at the side of her plate. She placed her gloved hands in her lap, her turquoise eyes landing expectantly on her daughter's tiny figure.

"Yes, Samantha?" Her mother inquired with a polite, nearly fake voice. Said daughter winced at the sound of her full name.

"Uh," she began meekly, cursing herself for seeming so feeble. With her shoulders raised higher and a bolder face, she said, "The animal shelter is leading a peaceful protest this Saturday, and I was wondering if I could go..."

The raven haired teen felt odd, asking her mother permission for an event like this. She never had before, but she figured if her parents were more involved in her interests, they'd have a better relationship.

"What will be happening at this 'peaceful protest' Samantha? Not another one of those angry riots, I hope." Her mother frowned disapprovingly, thinking back to some of Sam's rebellious protesting against her parents' word.

"No, actually," the goth said. "It's the opposite. It means what it says. Basically, we're going to go around the city posting fliers and spreading the word about animal cruelty and how it should be prevented." She fiddled with her napkin on her lap.

"Oh. Well, who is 'we?'"

"Well, just some random animal lovers and people like me."

Sam regretted her last statement. By 'people like me,' her mother probably thought of other goths and people similarly dark.

"Sammy-kins, dear, I don't think it's a good idea to be around people like that." Her mother stated calmly, picking her fork and knife back into her hands and delicately sliced through her lobster meat. Sam shuddered.

"Why not?" She asked defensively.

"Well sweetie," her mother frowned, not looking up to meet her daughter's eyes. "I don't really want you to be influenced by people like that. Look at your appearance now! You're very dark and, pardon me, gloomy, and not at all interested in the family."

"What does my appearance have to do with who I am?" Sam asked, straining to keep her voice down as frustration welled inside her. "And maybe I like being dark and gloomy. That's _who I am_."

"Appearance is everything, Samantha!" Her mother lectured. "How will you keep the family name in respects of common people if you don't express us through yourself?"

"Maybe I don't want to show off my money, Mom." Sam ground out through clenched teeth. "Maybe I like being respected for who I am, not for how many bills I have in my pocket."

"It's not necessarily showing off, Samantha." Her mother stated calmly. "We just happen to be very wealthy and well-off, and people should be able to see our success through our smiling faces. _Not_ by dark, grungy clothes and bad attitudes."

"People don't have to be rich to be happy," the goth girl argued, feeling her fists clench. "My clothes are _not_ grungy, and I _do not have a bad attitude_!"

"Lower your voice and speak respectfully to your mother, Samantha." Her father instructed sternly, having said his first words at the table. He was nearly done with his roasted pork, and Sam cringed as the smell wafted from his breath. Her mother nodded.

"Anyways, I'm glad you asked permission first. I wouldn't want you hanging around those filthy animal people any longer than you already do, and I'd like you to spend more time with your father and myself from now on. Things need to change, starting with your activities and appearance, Samantha-"

"_Do NOT call me Samantha!_"

The clatter of utensils against plates stopped. All went silent.

"Now dear-" Her mother began, but was silenced by Sam's next outburst.

"_No!_" She yelled, standing from her chair with her fists clenched at her sides. "I'm tired of you not respecting me! Just because I like dark colors and don't smile all the time does not make me a bad person! And you know what, animal rights protesting is a _good_ thing, for the benefit of animals that we humans take for _granted_! I wanted you to understand my interests, and maybe accept my personality instead of _always asking me to be someone I'm not_!"

"But we just want you to be happy, Samantha!" Her father pleaded.

"_Stop calling me that! I hate that name! My name is SAM_!" Her face felt hot, and she could feel pressure building up in her eyes. "_And maybe I am happy! Maybe I don't need all those stupid pink clothes and money and sunshine to be happy in the first place_!"

Feeling tears ready to waterfall from her eyes, the angered goth girl stormed out of the dining room. She rushed up the stairs, not bothering to answer the servants worried calls, ran into her room and slammed the door behind her.

Her parents cast a sad glance at each other as the door shut violently.

Inside, Sam snuggled into the comfort of her blankets and pillows and cried.

* * *

><p>Sam let out a bitter sigh.<p>

It had been a few hours since the dinner incident. Although Sam felt guilty towards the anger she directed at her parents, she held on to her words.

Her parents didn't want to help her. Well, maybe they did, but not in the way they thought. All they wanted to do was make her happy, she'd been told, but she knew that wasn't the truth. If that was so, why couldn't she allowed to be a free spirit? Whether her parents could see it or not, they could never make her happy. Always too busy working or going to parties or traveling... never making time for her.

_Did they even know what made her happy in the first place_?

Maybe she didn't deserve it. Sure. But for once, she'd like to be a little selfish.

For once, she'd like them to go that extra mile because they loved her.

_'Like that would ever happen though_,' she thought absently, picking through her stands of hair. Her parents had told her she'd gotten her grandmother's looks, but was it really so? The only similarity between her grandmother and herself appearance wise were their eyes, which didn't explain her black hair. Or her heart shaped face, contrasting greatly with her mother and grandmother's diamond shaped ones, and her father's square face.

And her nose, she lightly tapped, was small and round, unlike both her parents' much larger, angled noses.

So maybe... she was adopted? Yet with that theory, Sam felt no better and no worse than she had contemplating she had birth defects. Depression? Down syndrome? _What_?

She loved her parents. She honestly did. But if Pamela and Jeremy Manson were anything but her parents, she'd surely hate them.

They were the type of people that Sam despised. They used their money for useless treasures, and flaunted it every chance they got. They partied and mingled and gossiped about other rich folk, not really caring about anyone but themselves. All they did was enjoy their glasses of champagne and walk over everyone else.

Deciding she needed some fresh air and more time to think, Sam pulled on her favorite combat boots and climbed out her window.

* * *

><p>"<em>All clear over here, Danny<em>."

"Thanks Tuck," said boy replied through his Fenton phone, cautiously scanning the ground below him. "I'm gonna make another sweep over, then I'll head back.

"_Gotcha_."

Reaching the end of the street, the snow-haired Phantom circled around and began his patrol. He swept down to the lampposts' level, making sure nothing was hiding in the dark where he couldn't see.

Seeing nothing out of the norm, he quickened his flight and sped over to the next street, flipping in the air as he pivoted.

A few blocks down, Sam Manson was silently strolling farther and farther from her house.

'Jeez, to think I'd forget to bring a stun-gun or pepper spray or something,' Sam thought as she rolled her eyes. Not that Amity Park was known for kidnapping or mugging, it was always best to be prepared. But now that she thought about it, it might have been better to buy some ghost equipment instead.

Hearing crickets chirp all around her slightly calmed her down, although she was still weary. The further from her house she was, the more tense she'd get. Not that she was a coward, oh hell no, she just didn't want to be caught unprepared and end up harmed.

And with a city like this, she wondered why they didn't have a Ghost Patrol or something.

"_Hey man, mind if I crash at your place_?" Came the buzzing sound from the Fenton Phone.

"Sure," Danny answered, confused. "How come though? I thought you were going home already."

"_Yeah well_," his friend yawned. "_I'm beat, and your house is closer_."

"'Kay then, see you in a bit."

"_See ya_."

Fighting his own yawn, the glowing boy turned into the rich neighborhoods, nearing the end of his patrol. He looked around, admiring the large mansions.

Then he spotted something.

A dark, moving figure was slowly making its way down the street.

Phantom's eyes narrowed.

Sam yawned, watching her feet as she walked across the sidewalk. Her boots clunked as she stepped. She figured she'd turn around and get back home eventually, but it was far to nice outside to turn back too soon. With the realization that the streets were empty and there would be no chance of danger tonight, the goth girl walked in comfort.

Until of course, her eye caught something glowing.

She looked up, startled, to see what exactly caught her glance. With a moment to focus, she noticed something sort of large and floating down the street. The raven haired girl stopped walking, curious and hesitant. She wondered what it could be, then froze in slight terror as she thought of the idea of a large, powerful, dangerous _ghost_.

And then she realized it was moving closer.

Towards her.

With a click of her chunky heels, she twirled 180 degrees and sped off in the direction of her home. Cursing herself for her stupidity, she tried to control her breathing and calm her erratically beating heart. '_Maybe it's just moving in this direction. Maybe it hasn't noticed you yet_,' she thought. But with a quick turn of her head to see her prayer to truth, her expression paled.

Whatever was following her was coming straight for her, and gaining on her.

Wishing she had worn tennis shoes, she thanked the mighty being above for giving her the gift of speed as she sprinted a block closer to her home. She didn't even think of turning back to see the ghost behind her in better detail. Sure, she was into the whole dark and creepy ghost thing, but to be attacked by one? Not so much.

Danny sighed and picked up his pace, noticing the figure beginning to run. He wondered if she'd recognized him, but with a grimace he realized she probably wouldn't have cared. A ghost was a ghost, and all were considered dangerous. He just hoped he wasn't mentally scarring an innocent civilian.

He was about a yard away from the figure, which he noticed was a girl, when he decided to call out to her. "Hey, wait up!"

She jumped in response of his voice, now running faster. He groaned. '_Great job Fenton, you're making her run_ faster.'

Not bothering to waste her breath, Sam ran to her very limit and prayed it would be fast enough to outrace the ghost hot on her heels.

"Wait! I'm not going to hurt you!" Danny called, keeping his distance as to not scare her more.

_"Yeah right_!" Was the breathless response. Danny slapped his forehead.

With a quick boost, Danny propelled himself through the wind so that he was directly above her, then in front of her. He brought himself down and grabbed her by her arms, pulling her lightly off the ground for a few mere inches as her legs continued to frantically keep in motion. When she noticed the change in gravity, the goth panicked.

"_Chill out! _Jeez," Danny told her, pulling her a little further and setting her down on a bench. She let out a shaky, breathless yelp, scooting as far as she could to the edge of the bench.

The Phantom's wispy tail turned back into two solid legs, and he sat down on the opposite side of the bench with his arms crossed. He gave her a bored expression until her breathing calmed down. "You done?"

She could only manage a wide-eyed nod.

"Good," Danny pulled his fingers through his silvery-white hair. "You shouldn't be walking the streets alone at night. Some ghost might attack you."

"Like you?" Sam let out the airy response, feeling her sarcastic bite coming back. Danny rolled his eyes.

"I'm one of the good guys." He said, added a lopsided grin to add to effect. Sam could only raise an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" She asked , in which he nodded in response. She could feel her body calming down. "...Then what are you doing prowling the streets at night?"

He gave her a pointed look. "I'm not kidnapping humans, and yes I could so tell you were thinking that, and I'm not attacking anyone. I'm on patrol."

"Patrol." Sam almost laughed. Hadn't she been thinking about that during her walk?

"Pretty much," the ghost boy nodded, lifting his leg to rest against the bench. "So, what are _you_ doing, _prowling the streets at night_?"

She glared. "Oh, ha ha. For your information, I have annoying parents, and some normal teenagers like to sneak out every once in a while. I needed some air."

"I see," Danny nodded, leaning back against the bench and staring into the sky. After that little chase, which he had to admit that girl was fast, he realized how tired he was.

Sam studied the features of her 'captor.' Snow white hair, glowing emerald eyes, black and white jumpsuit...

"Hey!" She exclaimed, snapping her fingers. Danny looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You're Danny Phantom, aren't you?"

"At your service," he grinned, enjoying the feeling of being recognized by someone who wasn't trying to rip him apart molecule by molecule.

"I've seen you on TV," Sam went on, grinning slightly. She leaned forward and set her arms over her crossed legs. "You saved the city from that Skulker guy."

He gave a slight bow. "Not my first run in with Skulker." He smiled.

"I also heard you kidnapped the mayor once." Sam said, eyebrows furrowed. "Was that really you though?"

"No, well yes, technically." Danny admitted. "The mayor was being possessed, and he grabbed my arms and yelled stupid stuff out to make it look like I kidnapped him."

"..Huh." Sam muttered. She could believe that.

"So you're a fan?"

She blinked. "Well, not really. But I hear about you every once in a while. I think the whole protecting the city thing is neat."

"I'm surprised though," the ghost boy said, unfolding his arms and spreading them across the bench. "Most people hate my guts. Why not you?"

Sam looked up at the sky, recalling the stories of the ghost boy. "Well, you save people all the time, and sometimes you can be pretty clumsy, so I'm guessing all the bad stuff happens by accident. I mean, it's not like you're trying to destroy buildings." She gave him a searching look. "Right?"

Danny paused, staring at her. "...Yeah," he finally nodded. "You know, you have really unnatural eyes."

Sam looked down, eyebrows furrowed. "I know. It's really freaky."

"Oh, no." He laughed. "Coming from a person with glowing green eyes, I didn't mean it like that."

She looked back up at him, curious.

"I mean, I've never seen that color before. It's really pretty."

"Oh." Sam murmured, turning beet red. Danny's cheeks tinted slight pink as the girl across from him blushed. "I...see. Thanks, I guess."

"Uh, yeah." He coughed, looking away and scratching the back of his neck. "No problem.."

A pregnant silence ensued between the two, each glancing in each others' direction.

"So-" They both stood up at the same time, turning identically red as they awkwardly laughed. Sam grinned sheepishly.

"I gotta get home," she said, pointing her thumb in the direction of her house.

Danny looked at her with a surprised expression. "You live down _here_?" She blinked.

"Uh, yeah."

"Woah... you must be loaded."

There was no response, and Danny watched as her eyes seemed to darken. Her pout lips set into a deep frown.

"Sorry.." He murmured, his hand reaching up behind his neck. "I didn't... didn't mean to..."

"It's fine," Sam gave him a weary smile. "It was nice meeting you, Phantom."

"Yeah.." He almost turned to fly away, but then realized he'd forgotten something. "Hey, wait!"

She turned around on her heel, giving him an expectant look.

"What's your name?" He asked.

She felt a blush creep up as she smiled at the ghost boy. "Sam... Sam Manson."

"It was..." He now sported his own blush. "Nice talking to you... Sam. See you around."

He began to float away, as he heard something from the goth girl below him.

"See you, _Danny_."

He wore a goofy grin and a permanent blush as he flew home, the name 'Sam Manson' echoing in his head.

* * *

><p>"Dude, where have you <em>been<em>?"

Danny had just drifted in from intangibility when he heard his best friend call out to him. He set down on his familiar hardwood floors, becoming comfortable in the confines of his own room. With a quick halo of light, he was back to human Danny Fenton.

"Jeez, _Mom_," Danny teased. "Overprotective much?"

"Oh please." Tucker waved his hand in dismissal, lounging in Danny's computer chair. "You were gone way longer than it takes to get back here, _and_ you weren't answer the Fenton Phones." Tucker tapped his ear, where the earring-like filters were set snugly.

"Well for your information, there was someone on the street."

"Oh, really?" Tucker quipped. "Another ghost?"

"Nah, just a girl."

At the mention of the female sex, the dark-skinned boy acquired a sly grin. "A _girl_, huh? What was her _name?_"

"Why would you think I knew her name?" Danny shot Tucker a glare. "Just 'cause it was a girl doesn't mean I talked to her or anything."

"Oh, but you did." Tucker laughed. "It's written all over your face. What else could've taken you so long to get home?"

"Fine," Danny replied grumpily, crossing his arms and falling backwards onto his bed. "So we did talk a little."

"And what'd she say?"

"Well first I kind of scared her and chased her down the street..."

"When they say 'skirt-chasing,' they don't mean it literally."

"Shut up, Tuck. Anyway, I kind of freaked her out until I set her on a bench and calmed her down. Then I asked her what she was doing out, and she said she snuck out 'cause she was fed up with her parents."

"Ahh, the famous 'annoying parents keep bothering me' excuse."

Danny nodded. "So then she kind of recognized me and we talked about me saving the city and stuff."

Tucker grinned. "Boosting your ego, huh?" The halfa rolled his eyes.

"Yeah.. _and then I kind of told her her eyes were pretty and it got all awkward and I left_."

"Woah woah woah," Tucker put his hands up. "Back up. You told her what?"

Danny groaned, putting his face in his hands as his ears began to burn. "I said her eyes were pretty and it got all awkward."

"Aww Danny, you sly dog!" Tucker hooted, slapping his friend on the back as congratulations. "Got her number?"

"No, but I got her name." Danny smiled at the memory. '_See you_, Danny.'

"And that name was..?" His friend inquired.

"Sam Manson."

"_Manson_?" The techno geek's jaw dropped. "Dude, she's loaded!"

"That's what I said!" Danny exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "But then she got all offended so I shut up.."

"Okay so," Tucker shook his head. "You freaked out some chick, who actually turned out to be some filthy rich kid, flirted with her, and all you got was her _name_?"

The ghost boy raised his eyebrows. "What else was I supposed to get? And I didn't really flirt with her..."

"I don't know, a phone number, a date, a code to her bank account?"

"That's mean, Tuck."

"Whatever!" He waved his hand at his buddy. "The point is, you met a hot, rich chick who isn't completely terrified of you and isn't totally obsessed with you, and all you got was _her name_."

"Well, maybe she goes to our school..?" Danny supplied sheepishly.

"Or maybe she goes to some prestigious rich kid school on the other side of town," Tucker said sarcastically. Danny frowned.

"Just keep an eye out for her dude," the electronic whiz patted his friend's shoulder. "She may be someone worth your while."

* * *

><p>"Where have you <em>been<em>?"

Sam winced at the tone in her mother's voice. She felt partly guilty, but mostly annoyed.

"Out fishing." The goth replied spitefully, glaring past her angry parents. On her way back up the tree, she noticed that her bedroom window was locked, and with a groan climbed back down and headed for the door. She'd better be prepared to meet the wrath of her parents.

So here she was, half-listening to her mother rant on about her talking back to her parents, and sneaking out, and oh no her safety-!

"Relax, Mom." Sam rolled her eyes, fighting back a yawn. "I ran into the Ghost Patrol."

Her mother's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who's the_ 'Ghost Patrol_?'"

"Oh, you know," Sam smirked. "Danny Phantom. The guy who kidnapped the mayor. Remember? It was on the news."

Enjoying the look of total disbelief on her mother's face, her glee was short-lived as Pamela's face turned an ugly shade of red.

"_Samantha Manson._" She spoke in a stern, no-nonsense tone. Said girl winced.

"_You are not to leave this house without permission any time of the day. After this moment, you will not leave the house at all after 6:00PM and you must be home by 4:30. If you fail to do as I say,_" her mother said, a hardened look on her face, "_I will take away all of your clothes and dark colored belongings and donate them to charity. Then, I will replace all of it with whatever color I please. Do you understand?_"

Sam bit her lip, grimacing as she tasted the metallic flavor of blood. "...Yes.." She muttered, looking down at her worn boots.

"What was that?" Her mother said in a sharp tone. "Speak up. We will not mutter when speaking to respected elders, Samantha."

Sam growled under her breath, looking up at her mother and giving her a scathing glare. "Yes, _Mother_. I understand." And with that, the pissed off teenager stormed to her room and slammed the door.

A weary Jeremy Manson gave his wife a pitying look.

* * *

><p>And voila!<p>

What'd you think? (: Remember to give me critiques; I aim to please and improve!

Thanks!

~12Hues


	2. Second Glance

**Hello!**

Now that we've gotten a feel of Sam's home environment, it's time to take a closer look at Danny's school experiences, as well as Sam's. I'm anxious to reveal Danny's ghost half to Sam, but I'm trying to slow myself down a little and keep a good plot pace . (:

How about some suggestions on how he should be caught? And please, give me some tips on what you think makes a good story! Your input is always appreciated!

R&R!

* * *

><p><em><span>The next day...<span>_

_Slam!_

The lockers closed in on Danny Fenton, making the air stuffy and hot as he heared manical laughter from outside beginning to fade away. He was getting _really_ tired of this.

With just a bit of concentration and a feeling of pins and needles, Danny slipped out of the locker using intangibility. The halfa took in a breath of fresh air and ruffled his hair with a sigh.

"I don't see why you keep letting them do that to you." His best friend said, approaching with his PDA in hand. Danny found his backpack on the ground and slung it over his shoulder.

"It'd be weird if weak little Danny Fenton could suddenly take down a ton of jocks," Danny scowled. Tucker snorted.

"Yeah, but they'd be too stupid to figure out something's up."

"But other people aren't," Danny said with a sigh, walking in the direction to homeroom. "People notice things, Tuck. If a wimpy nerd could suddenly take on five jocks at once, don't you think they'd be a little suspicious?"

"Not really," came the breezy response, to which the ghost boy rolled his eyes.

"That's because _you're_ used to it."

"Yeah, probably."

The duo continued down the hall, keeping close to the lockers to avoiding running into someone. Well that, and not wanted to get tripped by the populars again.

Tucker fiddled with his PDA as he trailed behind his friend, who stared blankly forward. He was still a little sleepy from being up so late. Last night he'd gotten home almost an hour later than usual. And after, he couldn't get adequate sleep due to his mind being plagued by a... peaceful encounter with nice, pretty-eyed, non-hating non-obsessive Sam Manson.

Danny's face heated up a little.

'_Danny paused, staring at her. "...Yeah," he finally nodded. "You know, you have really unnatural eyes."_

_Sam looked down, eyebrows furrowed. "I know. It's really freaky."_

_"Oh, no." He laughed. "Coming from a person with glowing green eyes, I didn't mean it like that."_

_She looked back up at him, curious._

_"I mean, I've never seen that color before. It's really pretty."_

_"Oh." Sam murmured, turning beet red. Danny's cheeks tinted slight pink as the girl across from him blushed. "I...see. Thanks, I guess."_

_"Uh, yeah." He coughed, looking away and scratching the back of his neck. "No problem.."_ '

The halfa's hand reached up behind his neck. Jeez, what did he think he was doing, saying something like that? He was a horrible flirt, and once he said that it just got awkward.

'_Bah,_' Danny thought, his head slumping a bit. '_Not like I'll ever see her again. Tuck's right, she probably goes to some rich kid school..._'

With that last thought, he sighed, dragging his head back up to look for his classroom.

Pretty, bright, amethyst eyes stared back at him.

With an electric shock running up his back, Danny watched as a raven-haired girl walked towards him from down the hall. He felt locked, her eyes peering at him as she reached closer and closer.

What would he say? Did she recognize him? And_ why_ was she still staring at him?

Danny halted at the corner of the hallway, his heart beating erratically. Behind him, Tucker bumped into his friend's back, looking up from his PDA in annoyance. "Dude, what-?"

"That's her!" Danny said in a frantic, hushed tone. Tucker looked confused.

"The rich girl?" He asked. Danny's eyes widened as his shoulders raised. "_Yes_!"

"Oh, where?" His friend asked, becoming excited. Danny thumbed across the hall to the nearing female.

"That's her?" Tucker raised an eyebrow. "The creepy goth girl?"

"No! I mean, _yes_!" Danny slapped his forehead. "She's _not_ creepy."

"She looks like a vampire," the other boy commented. "And she's coming this way."

Danny turned quickly, watching with wide eyes as she walked closer and closer and...

...Walked right past him.

He blinked, Tucker looking back and forth between his friend and the goth girl. "Uh, Danny?" He grinned with a knowing expression.

"...What?"

"I don't know if you recall or not, but the night you talked to her? Yeah, you were _Phantom_."

"...Oh."

"Welp," Tucker laughed, patting his friend on the back and walking ahead of him. "You sure overreacted."

Danny's face turned hot. "Shut up."

"You act like a chick when you're freaking out."

The halfa sent his friend an embarrassed glare, then stomped into his classroom with his best pal laughing behind him.

* * *

><p>"Move it,<em> freak<em>."

The beautiful Latina chick shoved Sam Manson into the lockers with a flick of her dainty hand. Sam glowered.

"You are such a priss, Paulina." Sam growled, giving the girl a scathing glare. Paulina only flipped her hair in response.

"Don't be jealous, vampire girl." The latter girl said coolly, walking off with her posse. Sam cursed under her breath and walked off into the hall in a bad mood.

Surprisingly, she calmed herself down much faster than usually. She'd been in a chipper mood lately, despite the arguments with her parents. She wondered why, knowing that she hadn't changed anything in her routine lately. She had no friends and no one to hang out with, so it couldn't be a boost in her social life either. So then, what was it?

'_Danny paused, staring at her. "...Yeah," he finally nodded. "You know, you have really unnatural eyes."_

_Sam looked down, eyebrows furrowed. "I know. It's really freaky."_

_"Oh, no." He laughed. "Coming from a person with glowing green eyes, I didn't mean it like that."_

_She looked back up at him, curious._

_"I mean, I've never seen that color before. It's really pretty."_

_"Oh." Sam murmured, turning beet red. Danny's cheeks tinted slight pink as the girl across from him blushed. "I...see. Thanks, I guess."_

_"Uh, yeah." He coughed, looking away and scratching the back of his neck. "No problem.."_ '

Sam blushed at memory. She'd never actually been flirted with before. Besides the looks she'd get from the local goth boys from the clubs, and the occasional check-out from the boy from Skulk and Lurk. And to top it off, it had been ghost hero Danny Phantom.

But then again, he didn't really flirt with her. He just said her eyes were pretty. Did that count as flirtation, or just a compliment? Either way, it was a nice experience.

She remembered the way his face had turned red after she said his first name. Her ears burned.

Her cheeks felt tight, she noticed, and then she realized she'd been smile. Strange, considering this was the first time she smiled in a long while. Well, not counting the sadistic grins and sarcastic smirks. This was a real, honest to goodness smile. She felt her entire body seem lighter, and she walked through the hall with ease.

Across the hall, some boy caught her eye and froze. She stared at him, confused. Did she know the guy? If she remembered right, it was that clumsy kid everyone made fun of, and Dash's favorite victim.

Okay, she knew the guy. But not directly. So why was he continuously staring at her?

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, which was again, very strange for her, she looked past the strange boy.

Yet out of peripheral vision she could see him talking to his friend behind her. As she neared closer, she could faintly make out some conversation.

"...ere?"

The blue-eyed boy pointed his thumb at her.

The other boy looked confused. "...ats...er?" He raised his eyebrow. "The ...epy...oth girl?"

_Creepy goth gir_l. Of course.

"No! ... Yes!" The other boy slapped his forehead. "..._not_ creepy."

Sam flushed as the boy stood up for her. Did _he_ know _her_?

"She looks like a vampire." The other boy commented, and said girl resisted the urge to punch him. "And she's coming this way."

The two stared at her, one nonchalant and the other wide-eyed and red-faced. She walked right past them.

She tuned out the rest of their conversation as her face remained red, and quickly darted off to her first period class.

That boy, she didn't know personally, seemed to know her. She didn't recall them ever meeting, though.

And yet, her heart had a fluttery feeling.

He had stood up for her.

* * *

><p>A few minutes from dismissal, the halfa was falling asleep on his desk.<p>

'_Getting about four hours of sleep is really taking its toll,_' he thought as his eyelids drooped. Lancer was at the board, going on about some test tomorrow or something. Danny couldn't really understand; he was so tired he was sure he was going to doze off.

"...Mister Fenton..."

Danny tried to keep his head up, but his arm felt weak and could no longer support his chin.

"Mister _Fenton_."

He blinked, feeling his eyes close for about three seconds before blearily forcing them open. They went about half way, until they turned to slits.

"_Mister Fenton!_"

"_What!_" Danny yelped, jolting up from his seat with his eyes barely open. He looked around, his vision blurry as he heard laughter all around him.

"Well, considering your condition," Mr. Lancer crossed his arms, "I assume you didn't get proper notes."

"Uh..." Danny trailed off and looked down at his blank notebook.

"If you really find my lesson so boring you feel the urge to sleep," the bald teacher scowled, "I'm afraid you'll have to make them up yourself without my aid, in _detention_."

Danny groaned, rubbing his eyes as the snickers began to subdue.A bright pink slip with the word 'DETENTION' written in thick, block letters was placed on his desk. He sighed, wondering how he'd make it through the hour without falling asleep.

The bell rang, and he picked up his things and began his way to the detention room.

A certain violet-eyed goth scowled at her science teacher.

"Miss Manson, I understand your concern," the teacher said, obviously irritated. "But these animals were bred and raised to be dissected, not taken out of their habitat abruptly."

"How does that make it right?" The girl argued back, arms crossed. "Animals are animals, and no matter how you put it they are still born to die. It's _cruel, unusual punishment_ that should be made illegal."

The mentor sighed, rubbing her temples. "They are just animals, Samantha. They are giving a single shot at the peak of their health and age that gives them a painless death, which enables us to use their bodies for science in a more humane way than just unnatural selection and slaughter."

"Just animals?" Sam cringed at her full name, but otherwise ignored it. "They are beings of this earth and we have taken away their homeland! If they were born and raised to be killed, how is it any better than to picked from their natural habitat? Either way, they're going to die! Animals feel pain too, you know!"

"Yes, but, they were well cared for during their lifetime."

"Before we decide to slice 'em and dice 'em." The goth snorted. "You're saying that as long as the animal is taken care of and born for that purpose, it's okay to kill them? What if you bred a human being, raised them to be healthy, and decided to kill them and use their bodies for science? Would that be fair? Hmm?_ Because we seem to be doing that to every other species on this planet_!"

"Samantha Manson, _I will NOT have that kind of morbid speaking in my classroom_!" The teacher roared, reaching her peak. Sam held her tongue, tense.

"I will see you after school today, in detention, where you can make up the assignment by writing a multiple paged essay since you ever so rudely refused to do it!"

The class was silent. Sam frowned, and glared at the floor. "Fine."

"Good," the teacher spoke, her face red and her tone weary. "Now class, finish your assignments tonight and turn them in by tomorrow. Have a nice day, and have an...educational time in detention, Miss Manson."

Sam held back a snark reply, and packed up her things. She gave her science teacher one last heated glare as she snatched the hot pink detention slip from her hand. As the girl stormed out of the classroom, the science teacher leaned heavily on her desk. _Kids these days_.

Sam crumpled her detention slip and shoved it into the recycling bin, feeling more agitated and angry than she had in her last period. Everyone was the same- taking the animals for granted and treated them as if they were below us. It disgusted her.

She shoved the detention door open, not bothering to look up at her other trouble-making classmates. She didn't care who was there, so long as they kept their mouths shut she wouldn't have to rip them a new one.

Danny Fenton looked up at Sam in surprise and mild fear.

'_What's she so mad about?_' He thought, watching curiously as she shoved her notebook on her desk and heatedly rummaged to find a pen. He watched in caution as she found on, clicked it open and clenched it so hard her knuckles turned white, then began furiously writing. The halfa was two desks away, watching her out of the corner of his eye. He could only hope she wouldn't snap out at _him_.

Suddenly she looked up, and looked around the classroom. Her eyes set on him, widened, then narrowed as he gulped. So much for hope.

"Where's the teacher?" She asked, fighting to control her temper. If she was in a better mood, she probably would have turned pink at the sight of the boy she so fondly remembered from this morning.

Said boy stuttered slightly, feeling threatened by her vicious aura. "H-he's um... Mr. Lancer said.. said he'd be in here in a few minutes.."

Sam calmed slightly, seeing the frightened look on the clumsy boy's face. "Sorry about my _bad attitude_," she muttered, rolling her eyes as her mother came to mind. "I had a bad eighth period."

"Oh... s'okay.." Danny murmured in response, looking down at his own notebook and English text. He wished he could say more, but he was too afraid to set her off again.

The halfa tried to focus on writing his notes, but to no avail as the girl a few desks down let out a frustrated sigh and turned to face him.

"You know how today is frog dissection day?" She asked, more so demanded as he nodded vigorously. Settling sideways in her chair, she huffed in annoyance. "My teacher tried to make me split open a frog, and I flipped out on her."

Danny raised his eyebrows "Um, why?" He inquired, turning to face her as well.

"Because it's cruel and unjust animal abuse!" She exclaimed, causing Danny to wince at the tone in her voice. She slumped slightly, noticing his reaction. "Sorry, I'm still kind of upset over it."

"I can see that," he noted, accepting her apology. "But I get what you're saying. I never liked picking at frog guts. It's gross, and I'd hate to be in the frog's place."

"Exactly!" Sam grinned. "Finally, someone who gets it! You should've seen Dash. He thought the stomach was the heart."

"For a guy like Dash, the stomach and the heart are the same thing." Danny replied dryly. Sam giggled slightly. Danny's cheeks turned pink at the sound. '_She laughs kinda... cute_,' he thought, watching her eyes crease up as she smiled.

"Anyway, I downright refused to do the assignment, which is why I'm here." She gestured to the classroom and her notebook. "So what'd you do to get jailed?"

"Ha," Danny shook his head humorously at the joke. "I almost fell asleep in English. Lancer caught me."

"Oh... that boring, huh?"

"Well yeah, that too. But I didn't really get good sleep last night. I came home kind of late."

"Same here."

Danny stared at her as she looked up at the ceiling, probably thinking about the previous encounter. She smiled slightly, then looked back at her new found acquaintance. "I'm Sam. Sam Manson. Call me Samantha and I _will_ hurt you."

Danny smiled uncertainly, not sure if she meant it or not. "Danny Fenton. Don't call me Daniel though, I hate that name."

"Why do parents give us such stupid names?" Sam rolled her eyes. "I mean, not really stupid, it's just I like Sam so much better than Samantha. I wish I just could've been Sam in the first place."

"Same here," the boy shook his head. "I hate it when people call me Daniel. It makes me sound like some stuffy, stuck up prince... or something."

The goth bit her lip and fought laughter. "...or something." She smiled.

"I hope you two are done socializing, because it's time to get started on your assignments." Lancer spoke as he entered the room, a large book in hand. Sam and Danny gave each other one last glance before turning to do their work.

The clock ticked again and again, the minutes passing by.

Occasionally they'd hear Lancer flip a page in his book. Other than that, the only sounds in the room were the scribbling of pens and the ticking of the clock.

Halfway through, Lancer stood up. The pair looked up at him as he neared the door.

"I'm going to the men's room," he stated, giving the two teens a stern gaze. "Behave."

As the door shut, Sam slumped back in her chair and sighed as Danny stretched his arms and yawned.

"Man, I'm so close to passing out right now." He mumbled, rubbing his eyes with his fists. Sam's eyes widened as she thought of something, then went rummaging through her backpack. He glanced at her curiously.

"Wait a sec, I got something." She said, reaching in and grabbing whatever she found. She pulled her arm out, fist enclosed on something small. Danny stared at her in confusion.

She moved her bag and notebook onto the desk to her right, one desk closer to the boy. She then climbed over her desk and reached out with her closed fist. "Here."

After a moment of hesitation, he extended his hand and accepted whatever she had dropped into his palm. He recognized it as candy.

"It's super sugary, so it should keep you awake for a while." She smiled, sitting back into her new desk. He blinked and thanked her quietly.

Unwrapping it and tossing the garbage into his bag, he popped the light purple square into his mouth. His eyes widened as an explosion of sugar and tang erupted on his tongue. "Woah," he mumbled.

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, I know."

After giving the surprising chewy candy a hardy chew and swallowed, he found himself slowly coming out of his sleepy stupor.

"Uh, thanks... again."

"No problem."

The door clicked open and, yet again, Lancer entered the room. He sent Sam a confused stare as he noticed something odd about the seating, but shook his head and brushed it off. Sam grinned, earning the same expression from Danny.

The next half of detention went by much faster, and the two finished their assignments just before their bald watchman stood up to announce detention over. The duo gleefully packed up their belongings, and, with a speedy farewell, left their teacher to eat their dust.

"Whatever candy that was, it kept me wide awake." Danny grinned as he walked side by side with his new buddy. "It tasted great, too!"

"I know," Sam snickered, adjusting her backpack strap as she grinned at Danny. "My grandma gets them from a friend in the Philippines."

"Wow, so far." Danny said in surprise.

"Not really," Sam shrugged. "I mean, it's just a plane ride or two away. And we usually get it by mail in less than a week."

"Hey, Danny!"

The goth and halfa looked ahead at the sound of a new voice. Tucker speed-walked over to them, his trusty PDA in his hand.

"Hey Tuck." Danny greeted, watching as his best friend approached. "What're you still doing at school?"

"Oh so loyally waiting for my best friend, duh." Tucker rolled his eyes, catching sight of the goth beside Danny. "And who's this lovely lady?" He asked, getting his flirt on. It was now Danny's turn to roll his eyes.

"This is _Sam Manson_," he said with a pointed look. Tucker grinned slyly.

"Nice to meet you, _Sam_." Tucker smiled, giving the girl a flirtation wink. "The name's Tucker. Tucker Foley. Try not to wear it out!" She cringed.

"I hope you're not hitting on me," she said, and when Tucker opened his mouth to respond she quickly added, "because if you are then I might puke on you."

Tucker's facade faltered. "Uh... okay. My bad." He laughed nervously, stepping slightly away from the girl.

"Anyway," Danny broke in, saving the techno geek from further embarrassment. "Tuck, wanna hit the Nasty Burger?"

"Sure," he chirped happily, turning to Sam as though her previous statement was forgotten. "Wanna join us?"

Sam looked up at the clock, and realized she only had about twenty minutes to get home. She smiled apologetically at Tucker. "Sorry, I gotta get home before my parents skin me alive." She turned to Danny with a slight smile. "It was nice meeting you... two."

"Yeah," he swallowed and smiled awkwardly, fighting a blush. "You too."

Her cheeks tinted pink as she smiled at the halfa. "Bye Tucker. See you around, Danny."

Danny waved feebly as she walked off, to which Tucker called, "Later, Sam!" Before turning to smirk at his best buddy.

"Is it just me, or are you stalking that chick?" He laughed.

Danny turned red. "Shut up, Tuck." He said, hiking his shoulder strap higher and setting off to the Nasty Burger. "We ended up in detention together."

"I see, I see." Tucker turned his head to the sky, dramatically. "The fates have decided a soulmate for our dear ghost boy, and it is the beautiful gothic creature _Sam Manson_!"

With a flash of light and a gust of wind, Tucker found himself alone at the Casper High exit.

"Hey!" He called out to the sky, "Wait up!"

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><p>Feedback? How'd I do? (:<p>

Was it good? Bad? Any tips? I aim to please!

Thanks for reading!

~12Hues


	3. Third Accompaniment

**Hello! **

This is the third chapter of a hopefully ongoing story about Danny and Sam . (: I have nothing much to say besides I hope you enjoy reading this and please review ! I appreciate everyone who views . (:

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><p>'<em>I can't believe I'm doing this<em>.'

Sam stood outside the large, strangely structured apartment building known as Fenton Works. At a glance, it seemed like a normal town house with red bricking and a deep mahogany door, but if you look up ...

Sam stared up uncertainly at the giant glowing Fenton Works sign, along with the large observatory on top. Either the Fentons were geniuses, or mad scientists.

Taking in a deep breath and pushing all uncertainties in the back of her head, the goth stepped forward onto the doorstep and pressed her finger to the doorbell.

_DingDong-we-slay-ghosts-DingDong_!

The Manson child raised an eyebrow at the bell. Shuffling sounded, and she turned her attention back to the door. The locks clicked as they turned, and Sam stood expectantly.

The wooden door opened to reveal a messy-haired boy with icy blue eyes staring back at her. He blinked.

"_Sam?_" He gaped, and for some reason his face turned cherry red. Sam's cheeks turned pink in return. It had been about a week since the two had seen each other, albeit in the halls at school or on Phantom's patrols.

"Um, Danny." She tried to smile enthusiastically, but her face felt tight. "H-hey... You live here?"

"Uh," He continued to stare at her. "Y...yeah." He said, as if confused."What are you doing here?"

"Oh!" Sam mentally slapped herself. '_Fenton. Danny Fenton. Duh_!' She thought. "Fenton Works. Right. I uh, wanted to buy some ghost equipment."

A smile crept over Danny's face. "To ward off the late night creepers, huh?" His eyes twinkled in amusement.

The girl looked confused. The halfa shook his head, remembering that he only knew that as Phantom. "Uh, anyway," he quickly recovered, "come on in."

"O...kay," She muttered uncertainly, stepping in as Danny opened the door for her.

"Sweetie?" A feminine voice called from a door in the middle of the hallway. "Who's at the door?"

"A guest, Mom," Danny called in return as Sam slid off her boots. "Sam Manson. She wants to buy some equipment."

"Ohh, an adolescent aware and preparing for ghostly encounters!" She said in glee. A blue head with red tinted goggles popped out from behind the door. "I'll be right there!" It disappeared as quick as it came. Sam chuckled in amusement.

"Yeah, my mom's kind of a ghost enthusiast." the boy snickered. "Be grateful my dad isn't here. He's a little over the top."

"Sounds interesting." Sam said with a quirky smile.

A blue suited woman bounced towards the two, holding a ridiculous amount of equipment in her arms. She set the metallic items down onto the blue dining table in the room next to them. Patting one of the chairs with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Sam honey." The woman said as she smiled sweetly at the girl. She pulled her hood-mask off along with her goggles, revealing a beautiful red head with deep violet eyes. Sam's eyes widened.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Fenton," Sam gazed. "You're_ really_ pretty for a mom."

"Oh thanks dear," the elder woman giggled, waving a hand at the ogling girl. Her son rolled his eyes.

"'Kay Sam, you can stop hitting on my mom now," Danny teased as he stepped into the kitchen. Sam flushed and shook her head at the accusation.

"I was _not_," Sam protested. Maddie rolled her eyes at her son.

"Oh please, Danny. Don't be silly," She said, then smiled. "So, how do you two know each other?"

"We go to school together," Danny replied.

"Which classes to you have together?"

"None, actually."

"Oh, really? How'd you kids meet?"

Danny froze. He didn't want to tell his mother about detention. Sam saw his hesitation and supplied, "We met in Mr. Lancer's room at lunch. Danny was finishing an English paper and I was writing up a science project."

"Ah, improving your grades I see," Maddie beamed at her son, and the ghost boy shot a grateful look at Sam. She smiled in return.

"So sweetie," Danny's mother clapped her hands together and motioned the other girl towards the pile of weapons. "Let's go over these, shall we?"

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><p>Sam found herself with a tube of green lipstick, a soup thermos, a bulky metallic belt, techno goth earrings, and a wristband with an antennae on it. The two Fentons across from her smiled at her.<p>

"Well, that should keep you set for a while dear," Maddie smiled. She turned her eyes to the clock on the wall. "Oh, look at the time!" She exclaimed, pulling an apron from the closet and wrapping it behind her back. "Sam, you should stay for dinner. It's a bit late to be going home at this time, and we'd enjoy your company." The woman winked. "We'll drop you off at your house later too if you stayed."

"Um, okay," Sam smiled. Danny blushed from his seat at the table, fighting to keep tangible. A girl from his school was having dinner with his family. The thought of his thundering father and bookworm sister kept him from phasing through the floor.

"When are Dad and Jazz getting home?" He asked. His mother called over her shoulder in reply.

"Your father went to pick up Jazz from the library, so they should be home any moment now."

Her words proved true as the front door slammed open. A giant orange blur bounded into the kitchen, followed by a fiery red head with beauty that rivaled Maddie Fenton's. Sam's eyes widened in disbelief as the girl sat down at the table, setting down numerous books next to her and scanning through one with vibrant turquoise eyes.

"Do good looks happen to be a family trait or something?" Sam murmured as she leaned over in her seat to whisper into Danny's ear. His face flushed as he turned to Sam with wide eyes. It took her a moment to realize what she said.

"_Uh, I mean_-" She stuttered, equally red.

Thankfully, the large orange blur-which actually was a a large burly man with an infectious grin and sparkly blue eyes like Danny's- hopped over and embraced the two teenagers in a bone-crushing hug.

"I'm home! Danny my boy, I haven't seen you all day! Say, who's the P.Y.T.* joining us today? Welcome to the Fenton home!" He exclaimed in a rush, letting the two flop back into their chairs as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Hi, Dad," Danny wheezed, smiling painfully up at his enthusiastic father. Sam heaved and clutched her ribs, waving her palm at the older man in greeting.

"Sorry kids, sometimes I don't know my own strength!" He bellowed a laugh.

"That's Sam Manson, sweetie," Maddie smiled calmly from her spot at the oven. "She's a friend of Danny's. She goes to Casper High."

"Friend of Danny's eh?" He grinned. He swooped down to pat Sam's shoulder with his large gloved hand. "A friend of Danny's is considered family! I'm Jack Fenton, welcome to the family Sam!"

"Thanks, Mr. Fenton," Sam gave the man a weak smile, still overwhelmed.

"You haven't said hi to Mom yet, Dad." A high voice said from the pile of books. Jack bounced over to embrace his wife in a warm hello. The girl across the table rolled her eyes and set the book down, turning to Sam with a professional poise.

"I'm Jasmine, but feel free to call me Jazz," she smiled, extending her hand to the goth's. Sam shook the delicate hand and smiled.

"So you're a friend of Danny's?" Jazz questioned, peering at the other girl curiously. "Danny doesn't have many friends, so I'm assuming you've met Tucker already."

"Hey!" Danny shot in, crossing his arms and pouting. Sam chuckled. "I've met Tucker," she grinned.

"Good. Being around this crazy family all the time, I know about the discomfort towards the strangeness of this house. So if you ever feel overwhelmed about all of it, feel free to talk to me. We wouldn't want my little brother to lose half his friends in one visit."

Danny scowled as he sunk lower into his seat.

"It's fine," Sam smiled. "This is Amity Park, anyway. We need more ghost-kooky families around here. Besides, it's nice to be away from home.." With a moment of realization, Sam frowned. "Which reminds me, I need to call my parents."

"Go ahead and use the home phone," Jazz pointed towards a phone planted on the wall at the corner of the room. Sam nodded and stood up from her seat, walking over to use the phone. It was already past five, so her mother was probably furious. Sam bit her lip. She'd have to stretch the truth a bit...

The raven-haired girl picked up the phone and dialed, waiting as the tone rang. The sound of static picked up from the other side, then a crackling voice.

"_Samantha, I-_-"

"Hi Mom," Sam said quickly, holding the phone close to her face as she spoke in a low tone. "I ran into ghost trouble on the way home and the Fenton family saved me, then they invited me over for dinner and I thought it'd be rude to refuse so-"

"_It's fine, dear_," her mother waved off. "_Your father and I actually planned on going out to dinner tonight, so you'd be home alone anyway. I'll tell the chef to cancel your salad. Send the Fentons my thanks. Bye sweetie_!"

The crackling ended with a beep.

Sam frowned as she stared at the wall. Of course.

Placing the phone back into the stand, she turned around and smiled.

"My mother says I can stay for dinner," Sam said. "She said to tell you thanks for the ghost equipment."

"It's out pleasure, honey." Maddie smiled. "We're having roast turkey for dinner, Jack!" She called. Sam's smile faltered.

"Oh, I..." She sighed and smiled apologetically at the woman. "I'm... vegan, basically. I should've mentioned so sooner, but it kind of slipped my mind."

"Ah. Well, if you're alright with a serving of mashed potatoes and a salad... otherwise I could prep something else?"

"Mashed potatoes and salad sounds great, thanks." The goth grinned.

"Dinner should be ready in ten minutes, so why don't you kids wait with your dad in the lab?" The woman of the house suggested. "Danny could take you on a tour of our workspace."

"Pass," Jazz said, standing up and taking her pile of large books with her. "I'll be upstairs in my room."

Danny stood up from his seat and grinned. "Want to?" He asked Sam. "There's some really cool stuff in there. If you're into ghosts, that is.."

"Love to." She smiled and followed him into the hallway.

They entered through a large metallic door in the middle of the hallway, going down a long stretch of stairs Sam could only guess was a basement. She noticed all the steel the walls and flooring seemed to be lined with. The room was lit with bright blue lights, but seemed to glow green. Sam's eyes widened in amazement as they stepped into the lab.

Around them were desks and tables full of strange gadgets, small and large. There was a giant glowing dream catcher in the corner of the room, next to a giant cube cell, and a tricked out computer system. On the other side was a group of generators alongside a large archway made of thick metal and lined with black and yellow construction tape.

"That's the Ghost Portal." Danny supplied, watching her examine the room. She gave him a questioning look.

"Ghost Portal?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, walking over to it. "It's like a gateway between our human world and the Ghost Zone; the ghost world. "

"Wow." Sam commented, placing her hand on the cool metallic barrier. "And it really works?"

"Well, not at first." Danny said with a strained smile. He had a far-off look in his eyes. "My parents didn't know what was wrong with it, so me and Tuck decided to check it out."

"Tucker?"

"Yeah, he hangs around here a lot. Anyway, I was looking around inside and Tucker was checking out the wiring. He found an unplugged socket so he plugged it in, and I accidentally pushed a button while I was in there, which caused it to open, so..."

Sam's eyes widened. "What happened to you?"

Danny chuckled, looking away. "I got a bad ectoplasmic electrocution, but other than that I was fine." _Sort of_.

"I see," Sam murmured, taking her hand off the portal.

Loud thundering steps bounded from the stairs. The two teens turned and found Jack Fenton lumbering in with toilet paper stuck to his foot.

"Hey there, kiddos!" He grinned. "I just got back from the old can! Checkin' out the Fenton lab, huh? Pretty cool right?"

Sam chuckled, eying the toilet paper dragging on the floor. "I can see that."

"Yeah Dad," Danny grinned the famous Fenton grin. "I was telling Sam about the ghost portal."

"That reminds me!" Jack's face lit up, and he fumbled through a pile of papers on a desk. He pulled out a large blueprint paper and slammed it onto a whiteboard.

"The missus and I have been planning on mapping out the Ghost Zone. Check it out!"

"Um, Dad," the halfa raised an eyebrow and pointed at the paper. "It's blank."

"For now," the elder Fenton wriggled his eyebrows. "When your mom and I get the Specter Speeder fully operational, we'll be flying all over the Ghost Zone! It'll be like touring!"

"I don't think that's such a good idea," his son winced. '_Dad's gonna get himself permanently planted in the Ghost Zone if he goes in there_', he thought. "Don't you think that's kind of dangerous?"

"Oh relax, son!" His father exclaimed with a laugh. "We have so much equipment to keep those ghostly pests cowering at our feet! Besides, I have a theory that humans can become intangible in the Ghost Zone, the same way ghosts can become intangible on earth!"

"But still..."

"Dinner!" Came the call from the kitchen, and in a split second Jack Fenton was racing towards the kitchen. Sam and Danny looked at each other and laughed, bounding up the stairs themselves.

* * *

><p>Jazz clutched her knife like a sword, eyes slit. Her opponent, a glowing angry carrot with a deformed face, growled back at her. She slashed the blade through the orange vegetable, making a clean cut across its midsection. It collapsed with a shriek, and ceased its glow.<p>

Jazz stabbed it with her fork, bringing it to her mouth and merrily chewed. Sam watched in horror.

"Great carrots, Mom," Jazz commented as she swallowed her foe. The elder Fenton smiled in thanks.

"I hope this isn't too weird for you, Sam," Maddie said apologetically, stabbing a dancing green bean with her fork. Sam's eyes followed the motion as she mutely shook her head.

"Once you get past the whole '_angry veggies trying to kill you_' thing, you'll see my mom's cooking isn't bad." Danny assured her, decapitating his own moving greens. Sam sighed and shook her head, decided to just accept the oddity of the situation.

"I've never had a battle with my food before," she said as her spoon continuously smashed into her gurgling mashed potatoes. Danny chuckled.

With a small bite, whilst also trying to get over the fact that her food was still moving around in her mouth, the goth found that the food was actually very tasty.

"It's really good," she said after the ectoplasmic taste went away. The family nodded in agreement, smiling at the newcomer.

They continued their meal in pleasant silence, the Fenton family occasionally glancing at their guest with smiling eyes.

A slam sounded from the hall, five heads turned to the door. Plastered against the wall was none other than Tucker Foley, heaving thick breaths and clutching his PDA to his chest.

"Technus... Park.." He huffed, sweating bullets. "Tried to take... PDA..." The boy slumped down onto the floorboards.

Maddie and her husband pulled their hood-masks over their heads and set their goggles in place, pulling weapons out from cabinets. Sam could only wonder how they managed to fit those bulky items in the space, and how she couldn't notice them before when they were setting the table.

"We'll be right back kids," Maddie said in a stance and tone Sam could only describe as 'battle mode.' Jack clicked his gun at her side. "Finish your vegetables. We've got a ghost to hunt!"

The pair dashed through the doorway, eager to take the technology ghost down. Maddie's head popped in to view again as she added merrily, "Don't forget to clean your plates!" Before running off with weapons ablaze.

Danny stood up from the table, taking his plate of vanquished vegetables to the garbage and disposing of them. Jazz rolled her eyes and muttered, "_Cheater_."

The messy-haired boy walked over to his best friend, who was exhausted against the wall. He smiled pityingly at the boy and offered him a cup of water, which the boy graciously chugged.

"Whew, I haven't ran that fast since Fitness Testing," Tucker complained, taking Danny's hand as he pulled himself up.

"You need more exercise," Danny snickered. Tuck glared at his friend.

"Well, not all of us can go around beating up gho... Hey, is that Sam Manson?"

Sam blinked from her spot at the table. She offered the dark-skinned boy a slight smile. "Hey, Foley."

"What's she doing here?" Tucker asked Danny in confusion, his voice low. Danny shrugged helplessly.

"She came over to buy some equipment and my mom invited her to stay for dinner."

After a moment, a sly grin graced itself onto the techno geek's features. "Is that _so_?"

Danny rolled his eyes.

"So, how'd you get in again?" Sam asked Tucker, raising an eyebrow.

"Spare key," Jazz told her as she stood up and rinsed her plate. "Tucker's been around for a long time."

"Yup! Danny and I have been friends since forever," said boy exclaimed proudly.

"More like Tucker wouldn't stop following me around when we were kids," Danny teased as Tucker glared at him and swatted. "_Kidding, I'm just kidding_." Sam grinned.

"So like, I'm pretty starved from working these manly muscles all day," Tucker stretched his arms and flexed his imaginary biceps. "Any leftovers for good ol' Tuck?"

"Help yourself," Jazz gestured towards the giant roast on the table's center. Tucker visibly drooled and set himself a plate at the table, right next to Sam. The goth cringed as Tucker grabbed a leg from the animal and ferociously devoured it.

"Jeez Tucker, manners much?" Sam scowled as she edged farther from the boy. Tucker only swallowed a mouth full of meat and grinned at her, teeth covered in turkey. Sam gagged.

"Dude, chill out." Danny punched Tucker's arm playfully. "She's a vegan or something."

"Or something," Sam supplied. "I'm Ultra-Recyclo-Vegetarian. I don't eat anything with a face."

Tucker's brow furrowed in disgust as he swallowed another mouthful of meat. "Ew. You're missing out on the deliciousness of meat. I can't stand eating vegetables."

"And you're missing out on nutrition," Sam deadpanned. "It's no wonder you're so out of shape."

"Hey!" He protested. "I am so _in shape_!"

Danny scoffed from across the room. Tucker glared in response.

"Whatever. Both of you can kiss my toned meaty butt." He said as he stood and tossed his bare turkey bone in the trash. He rinsed his hands in the sink as Sam put her cleared plate in the dishwasher.

"Well, this has been entertaining," Jazz spoke up as she headed upstairs, "but I've got some studying to get back to. Later, kids!"

"Nice meeting you, Jazz!" Sam called as the girl disappeared up the stairs.

"So Sam," Tucker patted his now bulging stomach in content. "Hear you got some new equipment. What'd Mrs. Fenton supply you with?"

Sam motioned towards a pile of gear in the hallway. "All that stuff. Not sure I get it all, but I'll learn."

Tucker strolled towards the pile of equipment, eying the tools in interest. A thought hit him and he looked up with a devious glint in his eye. "Wanna go join your parents and help Sam learn how to use her new stuff, Danny?"

"That's a stupid idea, Tuck." Danny shook his head and crossed his arms. "We'd just get in the way."

"Oh, I'm sure you could_ fly_ us out of trouble if you needed to."

Danny gave him a look.

"Okay, nevermind then," Tucker threw up his hands. "You guys are boring."

"Then what do you suggest we do, Mr. Fun and In Shape?" Sam asked sarcastically. Danny laughed.

"That's it, Manson!" Tucker pointed his finger towards the girl. "I've had it with you and your sarcastic wit beating down my funny!_ It. is. ON_!"

"Is it now?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! I challenge you... to a video game match!"

Sam smirked.

"_Bring it on, Foley_."

* * *

><p>"Nooo!" Tucker waled as his knight was decapitated by Sam's samurai. He whimpered pathetically as Sam cackled in triumph.<p>

'What'd I get myself into?" He mumbled, fake tears in his eyes. Danny laughed at the two.

"Who knew Sam could rock video games?" Danny said, grinning at the girl as she blushed from the compliment.

"Oh yeah, so I get my butt handed to me and Sam gets flirty-Fenton." Tucker sniffed. "Real good friend you are, Danny."

The two other teens turned red.

"Shut up, Tuck." Danny muttered as his hand crept up to the back of his neck.

"It's not his fault you're an awful gamer, Tuck." Sam said offhandedly, twirling a finger through her hair. Tucker gasped dramatically.

"I call for a rematch!" He announced, grabbing his controller and crouching into gaming position. Sam chuckled and stood up. "I gotta go to the little girls room, but I'll be back to kick your butt again," she grinned.

"It's around the hall and to your left," Danny told her, and she smiled in return.

"Thanks Danny," she said as she rounded the corner. Tucker huffed.

"_Thanks Danny_!" He mocked in a high pitched voice, failing to imitate the girl. He frowned and slumped over. "I'm starting to feel like a third wheel here."

"Third wheel of what?" Danny asked, rolling his eyes. "Sam is barely a friend, and she's only here 'cause my mom invited her for dinner."

"She's just a friend now, but you did say she was pretty."

"I said her eyes were a _pretty color_."

"My good man," Tucker sighed, patting his friend's shoulder. "is there really any difference?"

Danny huffed and looked away.

"I'm back."

The boys turned to the entrance, where Sam stood. She brought her glowing green hand and sniffed it, cringing at the scent. "I'm not even going to ask why my hand smells like spoiled vegetables."

"Ectoplasm," the two boys said simultaneously, grinning knowingly at her. She shook her head and bit back laughter.

"We're home, kids!" Came the chipper sound of Maddie Fenton. The three teens looked up to find the woman smiling proudly in the hallway, her husband at her side with a large metallic helmet on his shoulder.

"We brought a souvenir!" Jack laughed as he lugged the hulky thing into Danny's arms. He caught it with a wheeze, elbows jutting out as it rested on his legs.

"Is that the headgear from the ghost?" Sam asked.

"Sure is!" Jack replied. "Exploded after my amazing wife shot it with the Fenton Bazooka!"

"Fenton Bazooka..." Sam shook her head and laughed.

"Sam sweetie, it's getting late," Maddie said as she pulled her hood off and smiled at the girl sympathetically. "I'm not sure what your curfew is supposed to be, but I wouldn't want to leave a bad impression for your parents.."

Sam checked the clock on the wall. It was nearly nine.

"I should be getting home anyway," Sam smiled sadly. "We have school tomorrow." She turned to Tucker and shrugged. "Sorry Tuck, I'll have to take you up on that rematch some other time."

"Go upstairs and say bye to Jazz, I'll put all your gear in the car. We'll be waiting outside."

"Sure, thanks."

Sam stepped up the staircase and spotted a pink room. Best guess it was Jazz's room. She knocked on the door and opened it slightly. The redhead was sitting at her desk, nose buried in her book. She looked up and smiled. "Leaving, Sam?"

"Uh yeah, wanted to say bye before I left. I'm not really sure when I'd get to see you again so.."

"I go to Casper too, you know. You can find me at the library practically any time of the day."

"Oh," Sam blinked. "Okay, cool."

"Yeah," Jazz looked down for a moment, a distant expression on her features. "Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Just..." She strained a smile. "My little brother's really special, you know. He has a lot on his plate right now, way more than any kid his age should. I'd really like it, and.. so would he, if you stuck around more often..."

"Sure, Jazz." The girl replied breezily. The elder girl took a deep breath. "You know, you care a lot more about Danny _than any normal kid your age should_."

Jazz chuckled. "I know. I didn't at first, but once I found out everything he goes through I just..." She sighed, staring down at her palms.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked softly.

"He'll tell you when he's ready," Jazz said, still a little glum. "Thanks for the chat, Sam. See you around." The redhead turned back to her book.

"No problem, Jazz," The goth replied with a small smile. "See ya."

As the raven-haired teen left, Jazz frowned. As much as she liked Sam so far, she wasn't entirely sure if she was completely trustworthy. Danny seemed to like her already, and she worried he'd feel extremely hurt if she decided to drop out. Jazz sighed. Then again, Danny's secrets were a lot to handle.

She really hoped she'd be seeing Sam around.

* * *

><p>The Manson child pulled her combat boots on, feeling the familiar snugness of the fabric. She stepped out onto the doormat and closed the door behind her, looking up to find the vehicle she'd been riding home in.<p>

In front of her was a giant green and metallic RV with a loud 'Fenton Works' sign on top. She smiled wryly.

"Hop in the back, sweetheart!" Maddie called from shotgun. Sam rolled her eyes in amusement as the back door slid open, revealing a huge amount of complicated looking technology behind the backseats. She slid in next to Tucker at the far end, and Danny in the middle.

"You're coming too?" She asked Tucker. He wriggled his eyebrows at her.

"I'm going home after you."

"..Oh."

Danny fidgeted with his the hem of his shirt. He'd never actually sat this close to a girl before, nevermind his sister or mom. There was one time where a girl sat next to him on the bus because there were no other seats besides the one next to Mr. Lancer, but this was different. He was sitting next to a girl in his own car. He was sitting next to Sam in his own car.

He was sitting next to _Sam_, the girl with wicked video gaming skills and pretty eyes.

And he could barely keep his pants tangible.

Noticing his friend's discomfort, Tucker piped up from his seat. "So Sam, since you're a Manson and all, you're pretty well off right?"

"Ignoring the fact that that was totally rude," Sam snorted. "Yes. What's it to you?"

"Nothing much. Just figured you'd probably have a tricked out gaming system. Maybe we could finish that rematch at your place sometime."

"You're inviting yourself over? Fine. But I'll have you know my parents don't take to kindly to boys."

"I'll win 'em over with some Foley charm," Tucker winked.

"Fine, but Danny's coming too. I don't want my parents getting suspicious."

"Uh, Danny would like to decide himself whose house he goes to." Danny crossed his arms. He glanced at the two at his sides, fighting a grin as they looked at him expectantly. "...He says sure, but only if you have _Doom_."

Sam laughed. "Try every version from the first to the fifth."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "The fifth isn't even out yet."

"In Russia it is," Sam stated proudly.

"But we're not in Rus... Oooh! _Sweet_!" Tucker whooped. The other two teens laughed.

"I'd like to invite the entire family over dinner one night, but my parents aren't very humble people. Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton."

"It's no problem, hon'." Maddie smiled sweetly. "Feel free to visit any time you like!"

"Thanks, I will," Sam grinned, and Danny blushed next to her.

"Is this your place, kiddo?" Jack asked in his hearty voice, pulling over in front of a purple mansion. Sam strained a smile."Yup."

"Danny, why don't you be a gentleman and walk Sam to the door?" Said boy's mother suggested. Danny's hand found its way to his neck as he nodded. Sam hopped out of the vehicle as the door slid open, Danny in suit.

As the goth pressed a few buttons to open the gate, Danny gazed at her back.

"Hey, Sam," he mumbled, gaze not moving. She looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Did you mean what you said in the car?"

"...About?"

"About.. visiting a lot?" Danny looked up at her with hopeful eyes. Sam fought a blush. It was _adorable_. They began walking towards the door. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. I'd get it if you just said that to please my mom, but you really can come over whenever you want.. I-_we_ really enjoyed your company, and, um.."

Sam smiled. "Yeah, I'll be around. Only if you want me to be, though." They reached the door. The porch light was off, so she assumed her parents still weren't home. Danny stared at her.

"I do," he murmured, holding his gaze to hers. Her heart skipped a beat.

"_I mean_-," he flailed slightly, flushed red. "I do want you to come over... to my house.. often..er.."

Sam laughed lightly, giving him a brilliant smile. "Then I will."

Danny grinned cheekily at her. "Cool."

"Yeah."

The door opened, flooding the doorway with light. The two winced at the intensity, and looked up to find a butler holding the door open.

"Your parents are still out, Miss Sam." He said with respect. The man spotted the teenage boy next to the young mistress, and raised an eyebrow. "Good evening, sir," He bowed slightly. Danny stared. "Uh, hi..?"

Sam frowned slightly at the formal tone, and turned to Danny with a small smile. With a small blush and a slight jerk in her movement, Sam reached over and gave Danny a quick hug. The halfa, too confused and too late to respond, only blushed deeply.

"See you, Danny," The raven-haired girl said, before disappearing into the Manson home. Danny blinked, feeling deja vu.

'"_See you, Danny._"'

A flashback of his patrol night as Phantom came to mind and he groaned, feeling the familiar sensation of his rapid heart beat. He glanced at the door one last time with reddened cheeks before returning to the car to face Tucker's endless teasing.

Sam watched the boy from her window, grinning from ear to ear.

This had definitely been on of the best days she'd ever had.

* * *

><p>Liked it? Loved it? HATED IT ? D:<p>

Review, give me your input ! I aim to please .

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* P.Y.T. : Pretty Young Thing . You know, the song? (:

Thanks a bunch !

~12Hues


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